


Written in the scars

by Rosetylars



Category: Cricket RPF, Sports RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Idiots in Love, M/M, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:07:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24071899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosetylars/pseuds/Rosetylars
Summary: Soulmate AU in which any injuries one soulmate gets are reflected in the other, with absolutely no explanation.
Relationships: Mitch Marsh/Pat Cummins
Comments: 12
Kudos: 17





	Written in the scars

Mitch had always heard the stories about soulmates, but he didn’t think he would ever be one of the lucky ones who had one. 

He used to come home from primary school covered in little cuts and bruises after playing outside at lunchtime, but he could rarely remember falling over or getting hurt. 

One day, when Mitch was in year eleven, he was sitting in his second period class when he felt a sharp pain in his leg.

“Shit!” Mitch cried, leaning forward and clutching at his leg under the desk. 

“Mitchell,” his English teacher chided, horrified by his language.

Beside Mitch, his cousin Brad startled. “What the hell?”

Blood started dripping down Mitch’s ankle, and he rolled up his pant-leg to see that his knee was cut wide open, bleeding profusely. He looked at it, stunned, the pain and the shock making his brain fuzzy.

The teacher had come over to Mitch’s desk to see what was going on, and she paled at the sight. “Oh, my goodness,” she gasped.

The rest of the class was whispering urgently, trying to crane their heads to get a look. 

“Mitchell, did you already have an injury?” The teacher asked.

Mitch just shook his head, feeling sick. 

“No, Miss, his leg just started bleeding out of nowhere,” Brad answered. It would have sounded sarcastic if it weren’t for the look of shock on his face.

She took a deep breath, obviously as disturbed as the boys were. “Bradley, can you please take him to first aid?”

Brad nodded, putting an arm under Mitch’s shoulders and supporting a lot of his weight as Mitch limped, dazed.

“What the fuck just happened?” Mitch asked once they were walking through the hallways alone.

Brad just shook his head, bewildered. “I dunno, mate. You didn’t do anything, it just happened. Do you reckon that soulmate stuff is true?” 

In his shock, Mitch hadn’t considered that. Was it possible that Mitch actually had a soulmate? And if he did, had this soulmate just hurt themselves? 

“Don’t know how a girl could skin her knee like that, though,” Brad mused.

In amongst the pain and shock, Mitch didn’t have the brain capacity to put any further thought into it.

***  
As Mitch’s cricketing career took off, he didn’t have time to worry about the potential existence of a soulmate. The only times he did think about it was when he saw the big scar on his knee, where his skin had been damaged that day in year eleven.

Some mornings, he woke up with his muscles aching, as if he had gone through a tough training session the previous day, only to realise he hadn’t actually had training.

When Mitch was invited to join his first international tour, a soulmate was the last thing on his mind. He was thrilled that Shaun was on the tour, as well, and he could barely contain his excitement.

Mitch and Shaun landed in Sydney, waiting for the rest of the squad before they all headed on their international flight to South Africa. They headed to the airport cafe for a coffee, and Shaun recognised a Cricket Australia polo on someone sitting at a table under the window.

“I don’t recognise him, maybe that’s the other new boy,” Shaun said to Mitch as they approached.

“Percy or something, wasn’t it?” Mitch snickered. He had heard a fair bit about this supposed fast-bowling prodigy from Sydney, but he hadn’t bothered to look too deeply into his profiles.

Shaun shoved him. “Be nice. He could be your new best friend,” he reasoned.

Mitch rolled his eyes. That wasn’t likely. 

“Hey, mate, I’m Shaun,” Shaun said as he approached the young man. All Mitch could see was some floppy brown hair and some very bony shoulders, his polo practically hanging off him. Skinny arms stuck out of the short sleeves.

When Mitch caught up to Shaun, he nearly died. The boy looking up at them, eyes wide, was the most beautiful thing Mitch had ever seen. His eyes were blue like crystal clear oceans, and he looked startled before he schooled his features into a calm expression.

“Hi, Shaun,” the boy responded, extending his hand to shake Shaun’s. “I’m Pat.”

Pat. The name suited him. Mitch didn’t realise he was standing there, staring, mouth agape, until Shaun thumped him in the back.

“Mitch,” Mitch choked out. Then he realised how stupid that sounded, and cringed at himself. Shaun frowned, equally as unhappy with the greeting. “I mean, hi. I’m Mitch,” Mitch tried again.

Pat, thankfully, seemed to find this exchange endearing, and he flashed Mitch the most perfect, beautiful smile he had ever seen. “Nice to meet both of you,” Pat smiled.

Mitch could not stop his heart from racing. This guy was gorgeous. 

***  
Mitch stuck pretty closely to Shaun at the beginning of the tour, content to just follow him around and learn the ropes. 

During the squad’s very first training session, everybody was partnered up for a net session. Mitch started out by facing Steve Smith’s spin bowling, and Pat was two nets over, bowling at Shaun. 

After that, they all swapped around, so that everybody had a chance to practice some shots. Mitch was running in to bowl a ball at Steve when a sharp pain flared through his finger, and he gasped, pulling out of his motion and dropping the ball to cradle his finger. 

“Are you okay, Mitch?” Steve asked with concern, leaving his crease to meet Mitch at the other end of the pitch. 

Mitch honestly had no idea. “I think so, my fingers just started hurting out of nowhere,” he mumbled, looking at them. They weren’t swelling up or bleeding, so he figured they would be fine. 

Steve took a step closer. “Mitch, don’t be afraid to tell me it’s none of my business, but do you have a soulmate?” Steve’s voice was barely above a whisper, allowing Mitch some privacy. 

Mitch’s breath hitched. He hadn’t considered his potential soulmate for a while. “I... I don’t know,” he mumbled. How could he be sure?

“Has something like this happened before?” Steve asked, a gloved hand on Mitch’s shoulder. 

Mitch grimaced, the pain in his fingers beginning to dissipate. “Actually, yeah, now that you mention it,” Mitch ran his good hand back through his hair, trying to breathe out some of his stress. “My leg just started bleeding out of nowhere at school one day. All the skin was gone from my knee,” Mitch told him. 

Steve’s jaw was slack. “Wow, that’s the craziest soulmate story I’ve ever heard,” he declared. 

Mitch frowned. “Do you know anybody else with a soulmate?”

Even though Steve was wearing a helmet, Mitch could see his face light up. “Can you keep a secret?”

Mitch nodded, intrigued. 

“I have one,” Steve admitted quietly. 

Mitch couldn’t believe it. So they really were real, then. “Have you met them?”

Steve nodded, looking the happiest Mitch had ever seen him. “We’re dating. He plays cricket, too. We made our Test debut together,” Steve gushed. 

Mitch’s jaw dropped. “Wow, that’s amazing, Steve,” he replied. 

“Mitchell, Steve, stop wasting time over there,” Watto called out. 

Mitch gave Steve a sheepish smile before returning to the top of his mark. 

***  
Mitch wouldn’t admit that he had a crush on Pat, but every time Pat would smile at him across the gym or across the field, Mitch’s heart would flip. He was just so beautiful, Mitch couldn’t help his reaction. 

Mitch made his international T20 debut the match after Pat did, and before the match, he was beyond stressed. He went to hide in the bathroom block beforehand, freaking out. He splashed some water over his face, trying to calm himself down, but then he heard footsteps, then there was a warm hand on his lower back, and his heart rate seemed to calm instantly. 

He thought it might have been Shaun, but when he stood up, it was Pat beside him. 

“Are you okay, Mitch?” Pat asked in such a sweet, concerned voice that Mitch nearly melted on the spot. 

Mitch took a deep breath, trying not to be distracted by the perfect boy standing in front of him. “I am now, somehow. Thank you,” he replied, though he wasn’t sure for what exactly he was thanking Pat. He just knew he had to thank him. 

“Any time,” Pat replied, seeming just as confused. “My heart was racing and for some reason I just had to come in here. It was like divine intervention or something,” Pat chuckled. 

Mitch laughed with him, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. 

***  
More senior players joined the squad for the ODI matches, and Mitch was thrilled, because his good friend Mitch Johnson was one of them. 

Johnno joined Mitch and Shaun in their room, laying across Mitch’s bed as if it were his own. 

“So, Mitchy, you seeing anyone yet?” Johnno asked, a twinkle in his eyes. 

“Nup, nobody on my radar at the moment,” Mitch stated. 

Shaun frowned at him from where he was sitting on his own bed. “That’s bullshit, Mitchy. Surely you’re desperate to find out who your soulmate is?”

Johnno’s jaw dropped. “Soulmate?”

Shaun nodded. “I’m sure that’s why his knee started bleeding when he was still in school.”

Johnno raised his eyebrows. 

The incident with his finger was still playing on his mind, so he decided he would bring it up. Johnno was like an extra big brother, so Mitch knew he and Shaun were the right people to tell.

“Actually, something else happened,” Mitch began. 

Both older men looked at Mitch, intrigued. 

“In the very first training session of the tour, I was running in to bowl when I got a massive pain in my fingers for no reason,” Mitch admitted. 

Shaun raised his eyebrows, and Johnno’s jaw dropped. 

“Mate, surely you believe you have a soulmate now,” Shaun said gently. “I know we thought the whole soulmate thing was bullshit for a while, but-“

“Holy shit, we have to find them right the fuck now,” Johnno cut Shaun off, beyond excited. 

Mitch chuckled at his enthusiasm, but his face fell when he actually thought about it. “There are a million people in the world. How the hell am I ever gonna know who it is?”

“There’s more than a million people in Perth, let alone the world, idiot,” Shaun corrected. 

Johnno held up a mediating hand. “Boys. Don’t worry about that. We have bigger fish to fry. Mitchy, trust me, you’re going to meet them. The universe knows what it’s doing.”

Mitch thought that sounded a bit farfetched, but he decided that a little bit of hope was better than nothing. 

***  
The next morning, the squad had a weights session. Right afterwards, Mitch didn’t feel right. He spaced out a bit, and before he knew it, he was heading to the corner to grab a bottle of Gatorade from the team’s supply. Pat was there, too, and he looked dejected. 

Before Mitch could think about it, he reached out and squeezed Pat’s shoulder, and all of the tension seemed to leave the younger man’s frame at the action. 

“You okay, Patty?” Mitch asked quietly enough not to be overheard by their nearby teammates completing the cool down. 

“Better now,” Pat admitted, though that fact seemed to confuse him. “Michael Clarke just called me a twig,” he told Mitch. 

Fierce anger flared in Mitch’s body, and his hands curled into fists. “Fuck him,” Mitch spat. “You’re perfect, Patty. You’re eighteen. You can’t magically become ninety kilos in an instant,” he grumbled. 

Pat’s lips quirked up into a smile at Mitch’s reaction. “Thanks, Mitchy. You really get it,” he said gently. 

Mitch didn’t know what had gotten into him, but he reached his hand out and brushed a rogue bit of Pat’s floppy hair backwards. 

They both seemed to realise the weight of the moment at the same time, and Mitch withdrew his hand, both of them blushing furiously. 

What had that all been about?

***  
“So I’ve been doing some research into soulmates,” Johnno declared. He, Shaun and Mitch were sitting on Shaun’s bed, having just finished some takeaway for dinner that the dietician definitely wasn’t going to find out about. 

“Find anything?” Shaun asked. 

“There are a lot of reports of one person getting injured, and the other getting the same symptoms,” Johnno stated. 

Mitch shrugged. “We knew that already, didn’t we?”

“It looks like that kind of thing stops once the pair is in love, which is nice. There’s more,” Johnno declared. “People are saying they felt ‘drawn’ to their soulmates and that they can feel and soothe their emotions when they’re in close proximity.”

Mitch screwed up his nose. “That sounds like bullshit,” he said. 

“Hey, I’m just telling you what the literature says,” Johnno raised his hands in mock surrender. 

“‘The literature,’” Shaun scoffed. “You think you’re an academic or something, Johnson?” 

Johnno laughed, pulling one of his socks off and throwing it with perfect aim at Shaun’s face. 

Shaun screwed up his nose, throwing it back. 

“How old are you two again?” Mitch rolled his eyes. 

Johnno and Shaun smiled sheepishly, and the topic of soulmates was laid to rest for a while. 

***  
As the tour progressed, Mitch and Pat grew even closer. Mitch’s stomach filled with butterflies every time they were together, and when Pat gave him that gorgeous smile, Mitch knew he was gone. 

The boys made their ODI debut together, and it was a win for the Aussies. That night, Shaun was heading out for a couple of drinks with Johnno, so Mitch invited Pat to hang out in his room. 

“I know we aren’t meant to drink in the middle of a series, but we did just debut and have a win,” Mitch justified, opening the door of the mini fridge to reveal a six pack of beers. 

“Mitchy, that’s so naughty,” Pat protested weakly. 

“Well, if you’re sure you don’t want a beer...” Mitch teased, pretending to shut the fridge door. 

“I didn’t say that,” Pat chuckled, and Mitch grinned, reaching into the fridge for two beers. 

Mitch’s crush had developed into a warm feeling that nestled itself securely in his chest whenever he looked at the younger boy. The beer smoothed out the edges of any shyness around each other, and by the end of their third drinks, they were sprawled on the couch, Pat leaning against Mitch’s chest in the space of Mitch’s outstretched arm. 

The sparks were flying between them, and Mitch knew he had to make a move. 

“If I told you that I thought you were pretty, how would you take it?” Mitch asked experimentally. 

Pat’s eyes darkened as they met Mitch’s. “I’d take it pretty well, because I think you’re pretty, too,” he smiled, gaze falling to Mitch’s lips as his tongue darted out to wet his own subconsciously. 

Heart racing, Mitch leant forward, closing the gap between them, kissing Pat for the first time. It felt so right. Pat threaded his fingers through Mitch’s hair as he lightly bit Mitch’s lower lip, darting his tongue out to press against the seam of Mitch’s lips. Mitch opened them, allowing their tongues to meet for the first time. Pat tasted like beer and happiness, and Mitch wanted to get lost in this moment forever. 

The kiss was long and passionate and left both boys breathless, panting yet elated. Mitch was going to say something, but Pat gave him a hungry look, leaning back in to continue where they had left off.

After a while, Pat shifted, accidentally elbowing Mitch in the ribs as he did. At that point, Pat winced, and his eyes widened as if he were remembering something important. He clambered off the couch, backing away from Mitch as if he were suddenly contagious, and their tongues hadn’t been making friends with each other moments before. 

“Mitch, sorry, I’ve gotta go,” Pat said hurriedly, heading for the door.

When Pat had shut the door behind him, Mitch blinked. What the hell had just happened? Was he a bad kisser? Was Pat repulsed by the idea he had kissed Mitch?

Mitch’s heart was racing, though he didn’t know where the feeling of guilt in his stomach was coming from. 

He texted Shaun: “Come back to the hotel asap. Bring Johnno. We need to talk.”

***  
It took Shaun and Johnno barely five minutes to get back. 

Just before they did, Pat texted Mitch: “I’m sorry about running out on you, but I have to be honest. I have a soulmate. It’s not fair on you if I lead you on knowing that they’re out there. I’m really sorry, Mitchy, because I really like you. I hope we can still be friends :(“

Shaun unlocked the door, and both of them walked in, looking concerned. Mitch was lying on his bed, totally confused. 

“Are you okay?” Shaun asked. 

Mitch just shook his head. “I’ve had the weirdest half hour.”

Shaun and Johnno exchanged a look, sitting down on the edge of Shaun’s bed.

“We’re listening,” Shaun said gently.

Mitch launched into his story about the connection he and Pat had felt, and that they had kissed, before Pat ran out. When Mitch read out the text, both older men stared at Mitch, shocked.

“Okay, that’s a lot to unpack,” Shaun commented.

Johnno hummed with agreement. “Mitchy, mate, I know you’re disappointed, but I think you’re missing something.”

“What is it?” Mitch asked.

“You have a soulmate too,” Johnno said gently. 

In his shock, Mitch hadn’t considered that. “Oh my god. I have too. And I just cheated on them,” he mumbled, dropping his head into his hands.

“Mate, you don’t know them. Don’t worry about cheating,” Shaun said gently, clearly upset that Mitch was so distressed.

Johnno had a different perspective. “Personally, I think you and Patty should let yourselves live a little and have some fun together. If neither of you knows your soulmate, you’re not hurting anyone,” he reasoned.

Mitch sighed. If only it were that simple.

***  
Pat avoided Mitch for days after that, and it broke Mitch’s heart. His emotions all spilled over a couple of days later. Michael Clarke pulled him aside after training to tell him he was going to be dropped from the ODI team despite a good debut. He held himself together until he got back to his hotel room, before letting it all out, breaking down into tears. 

A few minutes later, Johnno knocked on his door. “Oi, it’s me,” he called out.

Mitch wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his CA hoodie before he opened the door. 

“Woah, mate, you look like shit. Where’s your brother?” Johnno asked, walking into the room.

Mitch sniffed. “Shaun’s with the physio for his bad shoulder. Clarke just told me I’ve been dropped.”

“Oh, Mitchy,” Johnno said sadly, drawing Mitch in for a tight hug. “I saw old mate Pat lurking outside the door just before but he saw me and walked away. Any idea what that’s all about?”

Mitch shook his head as Johnno released him. “No idea. I’m better off without seeing him, anyway.”

***  
Mitch dutifully ignored Pat’s existence to the best of his ability until a gym session about a week after their kiss happened. 

The head trainer paired the boys together to spot each other in the squat rack. Mitch shot Shaun a desperate look, but Shaun encouraged him to take a deep breath. It would be okay.

“What weight do you normally work with?” Mitch asked, trying to be civil.

Pat assessed the weight plates already on the bar. “This should be perfect,” he replied. His expression was guarded, and Mitch could tell he was feeling as awkward as he was. After all, their last encounter had gone from blissfully making out to Pat running away in record time.

Mitch stood behind Pat as Pat settled himself under the bar, adjusting his feet until his positioning felt right. There was a mirror in front of them so that they could watch their form. Mitch was looking in the mirror, watching as Pat completed his first set, when he noticed it.

Pat had a very obvious scar on his knee. 

Mitch helped Pat settle the bar on its stand after Pat completed the set before he spoke. “That’s a pretty nasty scar on your knee,” he commented.

Pat looked down at it. “Yeah, it’s kind of a mess, isn’t it? I skinned my knee playing basketball at lunchtime in year nine. It was bleeding everywhere. My school pants were so bloodstained,” he chuckled.

“Huh, that’s so weird, I have one that’s really similar,” Mitch said.

Pat raised his eyebrows. “How’d you get it?”

“I don’t know, honestly. I was just in English class when my knee started bleeding out of nowhere-“

The penny dropped for both of them, then. They looked at each other, and Mitch’s stomach dropped with surprise.

“Oh my god,” Mitch breathed.

“Are we… we couldn’t be, could we?” Pat stammered.

Mitch pinched himself. Literally. And then Pat rubbed his own arm, right where Mitch’s was hurting.

“Holy shit,” Pat breathed. “It was you all along?”

Mitch exhaled a disbelieving laugh. They looked at each other, and then both of them took half a step forward, closing the space between them. Their kiss was short but sweet, and when they separated, Pat leant his forehead against Mitch’s own. 

“We’re soulmates,” Pat breathed, voice still full of disbelief and wonder.

“Hey, what the fuck is going on over there?” Michael Clarke called out.

Pat and Mitch sprung apart, but the damage had already been done. Most of the team had seen them kiss, including a very confused Shaun, who met Mitch’s eyes with a questioning look.

“It’s him,” Mitch mouthed, unable to hide his smile.

Shaun seemed confused for a moment, before realisation dawned on him. “Oh my god,” Shaun breathed.

“What’s going on?” Clarke asked once more.

“They’re soulmates,” Steve realised aloud.

The room erupted into chatter, but Mitch didn’t care. Pat was his soulmate. His scars were on Mitch’s body. Mitch put an arm around him, and Pat melted into him. Mitch pressed a kiss to his temple, not caring who saw. 

***  
That evening, Pat and Mitch were snuggling on the couch in Mitch’s room, comparing their injury history.

“Were all of the headaches in high school my fault or yours?” Mitch asked.

Pat giggled sweetly, snuggling himself further into Mitch’s chest. “Sorry, definitely my fault. I didn’t realise I needed glasses for way too long,” he replied.

“That makes sense,” Mitch smiled. 

“What about this one?” Pat touched his fingertips to Mitch’s ribs, where there was a small scar under his T-shirt.

“Ah, that was my fault, I slipped into the pool and cut my skin when I was about ten,” Mitch admitted. “Sorry about the scar,” he smiled sheepishly.

Pat shrugged, waving a hand through the air. “Mum was pretty distressed when she saw me bleeding and all I’d been doing was reading,” Pat chuckled.

Mitch laughed, reaching for Pat’s hand. "Now that I think of it, us being soulmates explains why I spaced out and went to find you when Clarke was being rude about your weight," Mitch mused.

"Of course, you must have felt it," Pat realised. "That must be why I knew where to find you before your first T20 match."

“You calmed me down so easily," Mitch remembered. "I’m so glad it’s you, Patty,” he said gently.

Pat gave him a soft smile, bringing their joint hands to his lips and kissing the back of Mitch’s hand. “I’m so glad it’s you, too. I’m really sorry about running out on you after our first kiss. I felt some pain that wasn’t my own and then I remembered I had a soulmate-“

Mitch gasped when it dawned on him. “Oh my god. You elbowed me in the ribs by accident right before you left. It was my pain you were feeling. You made me jealous of myself!”

“We are such idiots,” Pat laughed.

Mitch laughed, leaning in to kiss Pat again. Of all the people in the world, the universe had decided Pat and Mitch belonged together. Mitch couldn't believe he was so lucky.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Would you like to read more soulmate AUs in this universe? I'd love to hear your thoughts! xxx


End file.
